Gaybutton

Both the PATTAYA MAIL and the CHIANG MAI MAIL have published the official lists of Songkran activities. For the Pattaya list, click: http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd1 For the Chiang Mai list, click: http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/current/news.shtml#hd4

I agree with that. I hope you will be able to overcome your anxiety. I think if you give it a try once or twice, the anxiety about it will disappear.

Gee whiz. Gosh darn it all anyway. Judas priest! It just gets me friggin' PO'd. Oooooh, it gets me so mad I could just spit. Well, maybe if you ask GayThailand and/or Stef nicely, they'll turn off that feature and let people swear to their hearts' content.

There are all kinds of ways to 'hit on' someone. I wouldn't advise just walking up to just any stranger on the streets and inviting him to your bed, but there are all kinds of ways to let someone know you are interested in ways that are subtle enough so that there will be no embarrassment on either side if you are going to be rejected. There is no standard way to do that. Many good suggestions have been offered on this thread. You have to do what works best for you. Even if you just use the broad smile method, if the other person is interested then believe me, he'll let you know it. One thing is certain: If you are too shy to at least do or say something, then nothing will happen at all. If it were me, and I was not in a gay venue where I would be sure, then I would usually try the broad smile and see if if get one back. If I do, then I would try to talk with the person. If he responds, even if you can't speak any Thai and he can't speak any English, but he's friendly and I'm getting the right 'vibes,' then I might invite him for a drink, or hand him a card and ask him to give me a call, or ask to exchange phone numbers, or something similar. Even if the language barrier is total, you'll find ways to get the message across and so will he.

That's exactly what I intend to do. Of course, one of my friends pointed out that I have a car and don't have to get soaked unless I want to get soaked. I'm wondering just how many of you who can be in Pattaya for Songkran will be in Pattaya for Songkran. Other than myself and one other friend, just about everyone I know has either already made his escape or are getting ready to make his escape. The beach is getting "deader" by the day. Not only have a great many "farang" left, but many of the boys who constitute the daily eye candy have also left, but not for the same reasons. They want to be with their families during Songkran. I read somewhere that there was even a juvenile prison break, motivated by the desire to be home for Songkran. Is there anyone other than my friend and I who intends to be in Pattaya for Songkran? Out of that number, is there anyone who intends to be out there rather than hiding out in his hotel or condo room?

Let's just hope none of these drink spikings end up turning into murder. It sounds awfully dangerous to me and unfortunately there are people out there who seem to be willing to do anything to steal from others, whether they are aware of what could happen to their victims or not. As I said, there is no way I'll ever have a drink with a stranger in my room. I wouldn't even pull the old 'switch the glasses' trick. I'd be stuck with a thief in my room, hopelessly passed out. Of course, he'd have some explaining to do when he wakes up, and he'd be doing that explaining to the police.

Perhaps you should. What a set of coincidences! You're not alone in that. Robert Lincoln, the son of Abraham Lincoln, was in the White House the night his father was assassinated. He was present and an eyewitness to President James Garfield's assassination. He was present when President William McKinley was assassinated. He was present when New York City Mayor William Gaynor was shot during an assassination attempt. Sounds like a similar set of circumstances is happening to you.

One common occurrence is the spiked drinks. I don't know about you, but the reason I take a boy to my room isn't for having drinks, that's for sure. There is no way I would have a drink with a money boy in my room and I wouldn't let him have one either. One question in my mind . . . what are they spiking the drinks with? It seems that whatever they use, it keeps people asleep for many hours. For one of those long-haul international flights, that might be just the thing. What do they use and where do they get it?

Here are the latest details: _____ BANGKOK, April 10 (TNA) Thai police have not concluded that a bomb outside a Bangkok shopping and cinema complex Monday night is related to the New Year's Eve bombings in the capital, but they believe it was designed to raise the level of fear and apprehension in an already troubled time. Police said they believe that the latest bombing at Major Ratchayothin complex was apparently aimed to cause fear among the public. Visiting Phaholyothin police station to seek details in the case, Assistant National Police Commissioner Lt-Gen. Jongrak Juthanont said the attacker apparently worked at night when the site was clear of casual passersby, and therefore did not intend to kill anyone. The small and low-powered bomb was aimed to threaten the public and possibly to cause panic rather than kill passersby. Police are gathering evidence and questioning witnesses. The small bomb packed in a plastic bottle was placed in a phone booth in front of the shopping and cinema complex, and caused no injuries. Major Ratchayothin was one of nine locations in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, bombed on New Year's Eve. Three people were killed and nearly 40 people were wounded in the New Year's incidents, including nine foreigners. (TNA)-E004 _____ The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Police Question Taxi Driver over Bomb Attack at Movie Theatre Police are questioning a taxi driver who parked his vehicle in front of a Bangkok movie theatre just minutes before a bomb exploded there on Monday night. The blast that took place just before midnight at Major Cineplex Theatre Ratchayothin destroyed three street-side public telephone booths but injured no one. The theatre was one of the sites attacked by bomb explosions in Bangkok on the New Year's Eve, killing three people and wounding more than 40. The taxi driver, Wirat Jansa, turned himself at about 9.20 am but denied that he is not involved in the attack. He claimed that he tried to get customer at the spot but a police officer booked him for parking at the prohibited area. The officer ordered him to go to the police station to pay for the ticket. With the officer in his car, he was driving to the police station when he heard a boom behind him. The officer then got off his taxi to investigate the scene, he said. Later his taxi centre radioed him to report himself with police. "I think that it is all about the booking but it turned to be that police wanted to question me about the bomb attack," he said. Meanwhile Deputy Police Chief Lt Col Jongrak Jutanont who visited the site said that there was no no claims of responsibility for the explosions, which police believed was not meant to cause fatalities. "It was meant to threaten and cause confusion," Jongrak said. He described the bomb as a "noisemaker" packed with gunpowder but no nails or other sharp objects. He said police are investigating, but they have not yet been able to pinpoint a motive. Prakit Prachonpatjanuk, secretary-general of the National Security Council, said that initial investigations indicated that the bombing might have been the result of a personal conflict and did not appear to be linked to Muslim insurgent violence in Thailand's deep south.

Details, so far, are sketchy, but here's the story, from THE NATION: _____ Bomb Explosion at a Bangkok Theatre Bomb explosion damaged public telephone booths and injured no one at a theatre on Monday night. The blast destroyed three telephone booths in front of Major Cineplex Ratchayothin at about 11.30 pm. There was no report of injuries. The theatre was one of ten targets attacked by bomb explosion on New Year's Eve.

Most of you are aware of the Songkran holiday in Thailand. In Pattaya the major water tossing festivities will take place on Thursday, April 19. Some "farang," including me, love the holiday and fully intend to be here in Pattaya for the entire event and enjoy getting soaked (while watching all those boys getting soaked as well). It seems that most "farang" avoid Pattaya and anywhere else in Thailand where the water tossing takes place. In Pattaya it has already begun. Today I began to notice a few children out there with their squirt guns already dousing passers-by. It will escalate over the next several days until it reaches its peak on April 19.

You're using logic making sense. That's precisely why I wouldn't be surprised if they do go ahead and pass this bill. In Thailand it is not at all unusual for the powers-that-be to come up with something that makes no sense at all and defies logic.

The part about bars being forced to stop selling alcohol is probably what caught your attention more than the rest of the article. The final two paragraphs of the following article state: "The new bill, which is awaiting approval from the military-installed parliament, bans alcohol sales within 500 metres of schools, temples and government offices. "That would prevent many bars and restaurants from selling alcohol, which means tourists might spend less money or just pack up for a neighbouring country, the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations said." I don't know how many bars in Pattaya would fall within the 500 meter limitation, if this bill passes, but it could happen . . . The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Asian Tourists Vote with their Feet Bangkok (Agencies) Official statistics show that tourists from the region have begun turning away, prompting concern the neighbours are avoiding Thailand because of continuing insecurity and political woes. The number of tourists arriving from East Asia dropped by 7.3 per cent in the first two months of the year, compared to the same period in 2006, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) said. "Sensitive Asian tourists, from Japan for example, have been scared away from Bangkok due to security concerns," said Pornthip Samerton, managing director of travel agent Destination Asia. The TAT numbers showed a general drop-off in February among tourists from around the world, as overall arrivals fell six per cent from January. Arrivals were still slightly up from the year before. Pornthip said that many tourists may have reconsidered their travel plans following the deadly New Year's Eve bomb blasts in Bangkok that killed three and injured dozens. Since then, several foreign embassies have upgraded their travel warnings for Bangkok, citing the threat of more blasts. Meanwhile, a separatist insurgency in southern Thailand has sharply escalated, and the military that took power in a coup last September has threatened to invoke a state of emergency in Bangkok over political protests. "After the bombs, the political situation and the insurgency in the south have added to tourists' concerns. Meanwhile, changing regulations regarding foreign investments have had an impact on business arrivals," said TAT spokesman Chattan Kunjara na Ayudhya. Foreign investment has dropped off since the Bangkok of Thailand imposed tough currency controls in December, and the government in January proposed tightening foreign business rules. "Those factors led to a decline of arrivals, and those from Asia fell short of our targets," he told the AFP news agency. Tourism is a key money spinner for Thailand, generating about six per cent of gross domestic product. Las Vegas-based tourism consultant Globalyis said that Thailand could still expect to see an 8.0 per cent increase in overall arrivals this year to 14.9 million -- assuming there is no more political turmoil. "Any further incident in the country's capital or another popular tourist destination could trigger panic and drive away many tourists who may be concerned for their safety," the consultancy said in a recent paper. "Traditionally in the region, tourism revenues are directly correlated with political stability," Globalyis warned. "Reduced foreign investment could see Thailand lose out on tourism development in the coming years in favor of its competitive neighbours in the region," it added. Southeast Asia has seen increasing competition for tourist dollars, especially among Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong. Tourism groups have also warned that Thailand could see its annual expected tourism earnings of 800 billion baht ($22.85 billion) slashed by 10 per cent because of a proposal to tighten rules on alcohol sales. The new bill, which is awaiting approval from the military-installed parliament, bans alcohol sales within 500 metres of schools, temples and government offices. That would prevent many bars and restaurants from selling alcohol, which means tourists might spend less money or just pack up for a neighbouring country, the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations said.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Hundreds of Ethnic Karen Flee Burma Amid fighting Fresh outbreaks of fighting between Burma's ethnic rebels and armed forces loyal to the country's junta have led to more than 200 ethnic Karen fleeing to Thailand, Thai border officials said Sunday. The fighting began Saturday between a pro-junta militia and the rebel Karen National Union (KNU), forcing the civilians to cross the border into the western Tak province, said Thawal Pattanacharoen, regional border police chief. "The fighting went on all day long until early Sunday morning, and has forced more than 200 Karen to seek refuge in Thailand," Thawal said. Most of the ethnic minority Karen civilians had now returned home, he added, with only 60 left in Thailand, most of whom were women and children. He denied local media reports that up to 30 rebels from both sides had died in the fighting, which has pitted Burma's pro-government Democratic Karen Buddhist Army against the KNU. The KNU is the largest rebel group fighting Burma's armed forces and one of the few remaining ethnic insurgent groups yet to sign a peace deal with the junta. Burma, under military rule since 1962, has signed ceasefires with 17 other ethnic armed groups. Up to 150,000 Karen refugees already live in camps along Thailand's border with Burma. Many of them have been there for more than 20 years. Burma began a bloody offensive against the Karen a year ago. Human rights groups say the crackdown has forced thousands of civilians to abandon their villages and flee into the jungles. Agence France-Presse

Gentlemen, I don't think it is proper to bring a dispute someone may be having with one board to another board. I also do not think it is proper to post someone's PM, no matter what the reason may be. Nothing personal, pete1969, but your dispute is with the Sawatdee forum and this board is not the place to take it up. Quite frankly, if I had spotted this post in time it would have been eliminated. I do not set board policy here, but I think GayThailand would agree with me on this. I am locking the thread and will remove the thread if the owner of the Sawatdee Forum requests it.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ INTERNET ROW YouTube Says It Is Ready for Compromise Offers to 'Educate' Authorities on Blocking Individual Videos Rather than Entire Site YouTube said yesterday it would offer to "educate" authorities in this country about how the popular video-sharing service works. Such an offer, if accepted, would enable the blocking of individual videos rather than the entire site. The YouTube site was banned in Thailand on Wednesday after a user posted videos mocking His Majesty the King. Meanwhile, Democrat Party deputy leader Alongkorn Pollabutr called on the government to take drastic action. "Blocking the website is not enough. We must find and punish the wrongdoer," Alongkorn said. He called on the government to request the cooperation of YouTube owner Google in tracking the culprit down. Alongkorn did not explain if his call for retribution meant taking legal action against the user who posted the video clip deemed offensive to the monarchy and, if so, how such action might proceed. YouTube spokeswoman Julie Supan said the company had spoken to Information and Communications Technology Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom about the ban and made the offer to "educate" authorities. "Minister Sitthichai reported his government is inflexible on the blocking of individual objectionable videos and that the ministry's technical people have difficulty understanding how to block individual videos," she said. "While we will not take down videos that do not violate our policies and will not assist in implementing censorship, we have offered to educate the Thai ministry about YouTube and how it works," she said. "It's up to the Thailand government to decide whether to block specific videos, but we would rather that than have it block the entire site," she added. The ministry is still deciding how to proceed. It is willing to consider censoring individual videos rather than the entire site. "We insist that the clips considered offensive must be removed from the website," said ministry spokesman Vissanu Meeyoo. "We will look into the technical possibilities of blocking individual Web pages without blocking the entire site," he added. The difficulty for censors blocking individual videos became increasingly clear as new clips continued to be posted this week. The site, accessed from Bangkok via a foreign server, now has at least 10 clips connected to the controversy. Although the user who created it has removed the original clip, some others are similar, showing pictures of His Majesty that are considered offensive in Thailand. But some were simple videos of individuals expressing concern about free-speech issues raised by the ban, part of a fierce debate that has erupted on Internet message boards here and around the world. Media-freedom watchdogs have condemned the ban, saying it underscores the military government's effort to censor political dialogue on the Internet. Thailand has blocked some 45,000 websites, according to the group Freedom Against Censorship Thailand. Most are believed to be pornographic, but the government has also banned sites linked to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as well as online discussions of the insurgency in the South.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: see: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_07_04_50_4.htm for photos. _____ Major Police Crackdown on Criminal Elements here in Pattaya. Early on Saturday Morning, a major Police offensive to crackdown on known criminal elements here in Pattaya began. A group of over 200 Officers from Pattaya Police, Pattaya

Further details, along with several photos, are posted on the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS web site. See http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000002665 Here's the article: _____ PATTAYA PORNO WEBSITE CLOSED DOWN AND FILM MAKERS ARRESTED The Pattaya Constabulary are in the process of investigating and collecting evidence on sex websites being operated in the Pattaya area. One in particular that is being run as a joint Thai-farang operation was raided at 00.30 am, on 6th.April. The previous day, the police had obtained an arrest warrant and proceeded to check out an apartment in Argyle Apartments, located at 338, opposite to Pratumnak Soi 5. On entering the apartment, they found pornography and video equipment for making porn and all kinds of sex equipments, as well as VCDs and photos. The police also found three men in the room: Mr.John Gilbert Bowen (60) from America, Mr.Kyle (last name removed) (30) American-Canadian and a Mr. Paul Sangsuwan (25) a Thai-American. The police, upon further exploration of another two rooms, found one room had been decorated as a large, fully equipped, studio with lights, flash equipment and a big video camera for taking movies and photos. They also found sexy dresses, black leather hot pants etc. to clothe their actors and actresses. Significantly, the porno filmmakers had placed Buddha images in the corner of every room to make sure that every photo or video they took would show the Buddha images in them. They also made the actresses dress up in Thai costumes which they made them take off, piece by piece, while taking the video. The police, on checking some video movies, found that the filmmakers were using katueys dressed up as woman (as shown in the photo). These had starred in some very raunchy, sadistic and wild movies, which had then been uploaded to the internet (the website cannot be mentioned here for legal reasons) Following the securing of the evidence, the police then arrested the three men, and took them to the police station. Mr.John Gilbert Bowen admitted that he had rented the apartment in question some 5 months ago and confessed that he had set it up as a large, sophisticated studio to make X-rated movies and also to set up a website, mainly to run it as a large business with his friend. He had hired Mr. Kyle Mark Micgram, who is also his closest friend and a specialist in photography, to operate the business together. They had then hired bar girls or katueys to act in the movies. They had also made short film clips as examples of the movies and had advertised them on the website, so that if people were interested, they could order the movie. Mr. Paul, who is Thai-American and speaks fluent English, is in charge of looking for girls to star in the movie and to be the interpreter during the operation. Mr.John Gilbert Bowen said that his was not only the website that is dedicated to the porn business; there are literally thousands of them. As most of the customers of these porn sites are foreigners, Bowen considered they should not be illegal. If the police want to arrest him, he continued, then they should arrest those who run every other porn website, as well. However, the police were not of the same opinion, and informed the porn makers that the practice is completely against the Thai law and was especially offensive to the Thai people and its culture. The porn makers will be charged with making videos of an offensive and sexually explicit nature, sent to court and will then be passed on to the Immigration Department who would deport them to their own countries. The police added that they are fully aware that there are many similar porno websites in Pattaya, operated by both Thai and farang, which will be cleaned up as soon as sufficient evidence is amassed.

Here's the latest, from the BANGKOK POST: _____ YouTube Users Escalate Battle (BangkokPost.com, Agencies) - In-your-face users of the YouTube video-sharing service have placed at least seven new video attacks on His Majesty the King on the website in the two days since YouTube disappeared the one that triggered a blackout in Thailand. The attacks on His Majesty also got cruder and ruder early on Saturday, and all referred to a government attempt to block views of the illegal videos by users in Thailand. Earlier, YouTube indicated it would help Thailand block access to certain pages that contain clips offensive to its revered monarch instead of blacking out the whole site. But YouTube listed seven crude videos attacking the monarch in its search engine as of Saturday morning Thailand time, each with a sample photo and a description. Each of the videos had dozens or hundreds of comments, almost all of them censuring or attacking the users who had uploaded them to the user-controlled video archive service. The appearance of newer, cruder videos made it clear that Thai government publicity for YouTube, in the form of front-page statements and the ban on YouTube, had merely served as a red flag to the anarchic segment of Internet users that always flocks to such free-speech issues. The YouTube problem poses a major dilemma for the government, which does not have the ability to impose a total block on YouTube - although seeing the site is difficult for many users in Thailand - and which only escalates the issue every time it discusses a ban. Communications Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom told the Reuters news agency on Friday that the idea came during a phone call with a California-based government liason officer of Google Inc, which owns YouTube. The site had refused to pull out a clip insulting His Majesty the King. That refusal led the military-backed government to entirely block access to YouTube on Wednesday. "He said pulling out those clips would not be an effective way to stop the damage, since users could re-post them again," Mr. Sitthichai quoted his conversation with Google's Andrew McLaughlin, the firm's senior policy counsel. "He said a more effective way would be to block certain pages not to be seen in Thailand," said Mr. Sitthichai. "It will be a few days before we lift the ban on the entire site."

I agree that it is probably a mistake to try to pursue someone at his place of work. You made it clear that you are interested, but he did not contact you. I think you should have left it at that and moved on. Maybe he's gay and maybe he isn't, but let's suppose he is. That doesn't mean he is interested in an older "farang." Maybe he already has a "farang." Maybe he has a Thai boyfriend. Maybe he doesn't find you attractive. Whatever it is, it seems that he is letting you know that he is not interested as politely as he can and since you say he is now avoiding you, then if you keep showing up you're becoming a nuisance to him and it's ruining any possibilities. If he calls, then he calls. If he doesn't then he doesn't. Either way, I agree with the suggestions to back off now and leave him alone.

The underlying and, I believe, the most important point is that you have to be very careful of online hookups. While most are probably perfectly safe, there are always a few criminals around, ready to take full advantage of people who are doing their thinking with their crotch rather than their brains. If you are going to meet someone through an online hookup, then it can't hurt to be as safe as possible about it. After all, you don't know who these people really are or even if they are giving you their correct name. If it were me, I would want to take all the usual precautions, such as seeing his ID card and first making sure of his age. I would have all of my valuables, wallet, credit cards, ATM cards, passport, airline tickets, etc. stored in a room safe or lobby safe before he ever enters my room. I would have only as much cash on me as I would need. If it is to be a situation in which you are paying the boy, then I would have the amount you are going to give him available without having to go into my wallet to get it. I would ask the hotel desk staff to check the ID card and make sure that it is really his. I would also have the hotel staff hold his ID card until I personally accompany him to retrieve it or they call my room and talk to me before they give it back to him. I would also make sure he understands from the outset that I intend to have the hotel staff hold his ID card. If he balks or gives you the "I lost the ID card" or the "I forgot to bring it with me" story, then I'd tell him sorry, but no dice. No ID card, as far as I'm concerned, equals 'forget it.' Also, there is no way I would let him sleep in my room unless I knew him really well. Quite often, the boys who are there to be thieves make off with what they can get while you are asleep. Then there is the shower routine. If you are going to shower before getting into the reason why you brought him to your room in the first place, I would have him shower first. It's a lot harder to make an escape while you're still wet from a shower without arousing suspicion. When you're done with your sexual encounter, if he starts trying to get you to take another shower, tell him you'll do that after he leaves. Don't forget, a boy from an online hookup is even more of a stranger than a boy you "offed" from a bar. If there is a problem with a bar boy, then you at least have a chance of tracking him down. If a boy from an online hookup steals from you, then you have almost no chance at all of ever finding him again or doing anything about the theft even if you do succeed in finding him again. A line I liked from the film, "The Guns of Navarone" was when David Niven said to Anthony Quinn, "You don't trust anyone." Anthony Quinn's response was, "That is why I have lived so long."

If I remember correctly, Madame Ed's (formerly Adam & Eve) in Pattaya also offers body-to-body.

I am well aware that I am often criticized for posting so many stories about someone losing large amounts of cash from a hotel room or condo theft, but I'm going to keep right on posting these things in hopes of helping to prevent it from happening to someone who reads this board, especially if he is about to make a first-time trip to Thailand and intends to carry a large sum of money. I can't figure out why anyone would keep large amounts of cash in his hotel room in the first place, whether in a safe or not, when it is so easy to carry travel checks and/or an ATM card. Nevertheless, it seems as if no more than a month or so ever goes by without reading about yet another such theft. Why anyone would withdraw more cash than he needs for a day or two, and then keep it in a hotel room goes beyond me, but people keep doing that. It is incredible to me that people would carry more cash than they can afford to lose, but . . . . In this story, the guy didn't even have his cash in a safe. He had it in a suitcase! Here's the latest story, from the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Hotel Room theft Costs French Family over 500,000 Baht Police Major Pongsawat from Pattaya Police Station was called to the Carlton Pattaya Hotel on Tuesday Night after a Hotel Guest reported a suspected theft from his room. The victim is Mr. Daniel Pappas aged 51 from France who explained to Police that he had returned back to his room after a night out and found that items had been stolen from inside the room. 4,500 Euro

Ok, now I know what to look for. If I spot one somewhere, I'll let you know.

I always enjoy it when a poster assumes everyone else knows what he's talking about. Well, I don't. I have never heard of this 'blackberry' and I don't have any idea of what it is. I'll bet I'm not alone in that. How about someone explaining . . .